Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Upington

For one person, living is cheaper in Upington: $1,111 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Upington
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Upington Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Upington

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tbilisi and in Upington actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,111 in Upington, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Upington $1,111

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,731 in Upington, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Upington $1,731

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,350 in Upington, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Upington $2,350

Tbilisi costs about 14% more than Upington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Upington are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Upington 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$12.13 R 202

-4.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$35.62 R 594

6.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$5.83 R 97.2

65.69%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$1.75 R 29.17

104.00%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.02 R 17.06

5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.77 R 12.87

-27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.70 R 28.38

54.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$2.76 R 45.95

10.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$0.93 R 15.45

133.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.22 R 20.27

-34.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.61 R 26.83

8.07%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.22 R 36.95

27.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$8.31 R 138

12.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$5.40 R 89.9

20.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$8.17 R 136

58.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$2.06 R 34.27

-18.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.49 R 24.76

24.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.64 R 27.37

20.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.76 R 29.31

37.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.34 R 22.33

-38.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.39 R 23.11

-46.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.11 R 18.43

20.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$1.22 R 20.33

-36.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.76 R 46.01

29.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$3.73 R 62.1

105.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.54 R 25.67

10.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$2.09 R 34.77

14.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$1.46 R 24.31

-72.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.64 R 10.64

78.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.79 R 13.16

-1.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$11.30 R 188

4.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.45 R 24.20

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$40.3K R 671.8K

-39.03%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$34.8K R 579.4K

-35.76%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$88.8 ₾230

$148 R 2,472

-40.15%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.12 ₾33.93

$39.28 R 655

-66.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$37.62 R 627

-47.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$28.10 R 468

127.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$11.70 R 195

62.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$8.00 R 133

-11.00%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$375 ₾971

$103 R 1,709

266.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$5,540 R 92.3K

88.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$55.8 R 929

85.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$32.07 R 534

22.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$104 R 1,736

12.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$84.3 R 1,405

44.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$389 R 6,474

78.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$358 R 5,958

26.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$613 R 10.2K

121.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$736 R 12.3K

23.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$917 R 15.3K

150.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$739 R 12.3K

81.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$781 R 13.0K

-14.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

11.38

10.90%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Upington: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Upington

$358 32.2% 20.8% $94

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Upington

$193 17.4% 17.5% $41

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Upington

$157 14.1% 17.7% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Upington

$124 11.2% 27.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Upington

$225 20.3% 85.3% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Upington

$44 4% 43.7% $34

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Upington

$10 * 0.9% 52.4% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $389 in Upington. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 18% higher in Upington, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $36 in Upington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $193 – making Upington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇿🇦 Upington

🕒 Local time

02:12 2:12 AM

00:12 12:12 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

74,834

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Upington 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Upington

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Tbilisi vs Upington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi, $1,111 in Upington – Upington comes out roughly 12% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,667 in Upington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Upington, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $389 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $36 in Upington. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Tbilisi, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,269 in Tbilisi and $1,111 in Upington. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Upington – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.